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A Tataskewayak Cree Nation nurse, who is desperate to work in Manitoba, has been barred from practising after failing an English exam that advocates argue is prejudiced against First Nations people.
Two years ago, Tamra Keeper passed the National Council Licensure Examination for registered nurses after receiving her nursing degree from the University of Manitoba in 2017.
With her successful test result in hand, Keeper applied to the College of Registered Nurses of Manitoba to become licensed to work in the province.
To read more of this story first reported by the Winnipeg Free Press, click here.
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Comments
As we ramp up immigration to relieve labour shortages, will they pass the exam. When I retired I drove a work bus. A fellow driver was a young female nurse from Quebec who had trouble with English as well. She repeatedly failed the Alberta Nurse English test and subsequently had to return to Quebec! Leaving her partner in the Canadian Military in Cold Lake. Some allowances have to be made and no doubt in my humble opinion that there is societal racism there
The blurb sounded like a slam dunk.
I'd have started reading with a different mindset had it said "failed repeatedly."
Was no one available to coach her in understanding the elements of the test she wasn't successful on? Were no other tests available to practise on?
Presumably, there would have been no test when entering nursing school, given English as a first language status???
Having read the article, I still don't know what to make of it ... or why someone with English as a first language and a university degree couldn't pass the test in the first place.
The link took me to the Winnipeg Free Press page, but I was unable to read the article. This is a technical problem that need fixing. It has happened before. I am using an iPad Air, IOS 12.5.6.
So this person has English as their first language. And they were capable of successfully acquiring a nursing degree. And yet they failed this English exam Manitoba has FIVE TIMES. How ridiculously hard mode must this English exam be? How relevant can that possibly be to someone's actual ability to perform as a nurse?
Whether it's actually deliberately intended to screen out First Nations people, or perhaps otherwise competent immigrants of colour, I couldn't say. But it sure as hell can't be doing anything USEFUL.